Forrest Jones, who spent 27 years of his life in California state prisons, received his college degree on Sunday, closing a chapter that began with addiction and a string of convictions.

Jones grew up in Hanford, in the San Joaquin Valley, the youngest of 10 siblings in a working-class family. He said he fell in with the wrong crowd as a young person. "I started messing with drugs, became addicted," he said. He began stealing to support his habit, and he ended up in jail and in drug rehabilitation programs, landing behind bars twice.

In 1991, Jones was sent to state prison for burglary and theft. He was released four years later but returned to his addiction. He was then sentenced to 25 years to life under California's Three Strikes law for stealing a $400 VCR. He was paroled in 2018 after serving 20 years on that sentence.

Jones said his life began to turn around after a transfer to San Quentin State Prison. He described it as one of the best prisons in California because of its range of offerings, including educational and vocational programs, self-help therapy and hundreds of volunteers.

During his incarceration, he studied law and worked to understand the root of his addiction. He also became an activist and a journalist, writing about law and prison reform for the San Quentin newspaper. His work was published in the Journal of Prisoners on Prison, and he made documentaries.

He later studied at Chabot College, where he spent time in the old library at Cal State East Bay before transferring to the university's Hayward campus. After his release, he became part of Project Rebound, a program within the California State University system.

Jones now hopes his experience will encourage other formerly incarcerated people to improve their lives and pursue a college education. He acknowledged that sharing his story leaves him feeling vulnerable, but said he wants to offer hope. "You can do anything you want to do," he said, adding that "giving up shouldn't even be an option."

In the fall, Jones will return to the classroom at Cal State East Bay to work toward a master's degree in social work.